Things to do in London this weekend

Londoners have been protesting and showing their solidarity for Black Lives Matter this week after the death of George Floyd in the US. Read about the ways you can show your support from home. 

London’s very own reggae choir is taking its singing sessions online. At each sesh they sing two reggae classics. Join from 12noon to join in.

Live in Barbican and Highbury Fields? Lucky you, Dalston’s Dusty Knuckle bakery is one of the best dough suppliers and its roving bread shop on an old milk float will be visiting both areas of London to deliver sourdough, focaccia, sausage rolls and a glorious selection of pastries. Catch it at 10am in Barbican and 12noon in Highbury Fields. 

Bread Ahead, the bakery school and shop in Borough Market, has just announced free online tutorials on its Instagram page for anyone who wants to get their hands dirty kneading in the kitchen. Today tune into its Instagram at 2pm to learn how to make scones. 

Grab a pint and head for some of that daily exercise – or a little sit – in the park. Just remember: public facilities in the capital are still largely closed right now, so don’t get caught short. And many parks are closing at 5pm or 7pm each evening. Anddddd the government advice is to stay at home as much as possible, before you go getting any silly park session ideas. Do make sure to keep up that two-metre distance while you enjoy your summer sipping. Otherwise, though, it’s bottoms up for the bank holiday!

In response to the cancellation of hundreds of events, UK Black Pride, Amnesty International, Stonewall and ParaPride have joined together like an LGBTQ+ supergroup to form Pride Inside, ‘an online series of gigs, comedy shows, panel discussions, and arts-based events’. This weekend watch performances from British drag star Son of a Tutu, aerial artists Mel Stevens and The Cocoa Butter Club, and join a discussion with Lady Phyll and Kuchenga on Black feminism and the fight for trans rights and lives.

The latest streamed production in Glyndebourne's virtual Open House series is Handel’s ‘Rinaldo’ which follows Christian knight Rinaldo as he saves his love Almirena from the scheming sorceress Armida. Tune in on YouTube. 

Lorraine Hansberry’s final play ‘Les Blancs’ is the next play in the National Theatre’s online streaming programme. It’s a brave, illuminating and powerful work that confronts the hope and tragedy of revolution. Catch it on its YouTube channel. 

Outdoor markets have been officially allowed to reopen to the public this – but with strict social-distancing measures in place. Maltby Street Market is making a comeback today. For now, it’ll be returning as the ‘Maltby St Produce Market’, hosting ‘a small number of carefully selected produce traders’. It will also have a strict one-way system in place. 

Greenwich locals seeking a sense of community will no doubt be pleased to hear that the area’s historic market is back in business. For now, food will be the focus of its offering and social distancing measure will be in place. It will be open from 10am to 4.30pm for ‘hot and cold street food available for takeaway’. 

Vinegar Yard’s flea market is back. Pick up vintage clothing and antiques at the open-air market, which will have social distancing measures in place. Open hours will also be reduced to 12 noon to 5 pm. 

Ready to fully submerge yourself in nature after all those months of not really leaving the house? Get yourself down to Kew Gardens, which has reopened, for a mega flora overload. The world-famous Royal Botanic Gardens has been given the go-ahead by the government to welcome visitors. Of course, it will be operating under strict social-distancing guidelines and all visitors, including members, will have to book tickets online for time slots in advance to adhere to this. 

Camden Market – along with the rest of London – has been closed for the lockdown for the last two months, but it’s now reopen. When you visit there will be a strict one-way system and socially-distanced queuing spots outside shops. 

As lockdown eases, the National Trust and its glorious green spaces are springing back to life. Some of the Trust’s outdoor spaces are now open for you to get a healthy dose of the green stuff, but many have a new pre-booking system in place to ensure crowds are restricted and social distancing can be upheld, so do check if spaces are sold out before visiting. 

The V&A’s ‘Kimono: Kyoto to Catwalk’, which opened on February 29 before closing in early March, was one of the first exhibitions in Europe to delve into the sartorial and social significance of the kimono. Now you can experience the show in a series of five films giving viewers an intimate 30-minute behind-the-scenes tour of the show, led by curator Anna Jackson.

The BP Portrait Award is being digitally exhibited in a virtual space that looks and feels a bit like the National Portrait Gallery. Have a look by visiting their website. 

Indulge in some mycophilia (the obsession with mushrooms) with a virtual edition of this Somerset House exhibition. See psychedelic mushroom art, illustrations by Beatrix Potter, notebooks that once belonged to John Cage and Carsten Höller’s suitcase of spinning, solar-powered fungi.   

The Andy Warhol retrospective opened at Tate Modern on March 12, before swiftly closing on March 17. Now, you can take an online tour round the show via the gallery’s YouTube channel and website.